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He's with her always as much as he's always protecting Nagi (I assume she doesn't go with him when he goes to the market and such things). They both exist in each other's heart. Even when they were separated for the ten years, they were together because they kept thinking of each other.

__________________

Arcion's is open for business. How would you like your hare-brained scheme?

Would people quit throwing my faith in humanity being intelligent a shovel?
... Apparently there are now people in existence who are unable to use a shovel.

Programming today is a race between programmers trying to create better idiot-proof programs, and the world creating better idiots.
The world is winning.. by leaps and bounds.

Hayate is oblivious to Nagi's affections, but he only grows more and more attached and devoted to her as time goes on.

Can you somehow substantiate that? Where do you get this "more and more attached" from? There is exactly ONE scene I could imagine that could qualify as that, and that's Hayate's "see the future" scene after Nagi destroyed the stone. But that's because he was at a crossroads, and even then he needed Athena to remind him that he had an obligation.

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Nagi's feelings have grown and matured as well. As a pair, they easily have the most developed relationship in the series.

And I honestly disagree here. Hayate has always seen Nagi the same way: I've got to protect Milady. This sums up his relationship with her. It has never changed.

If you claim it "developed", then it must have changed meaningfully over time. Please try to summarize what development that would have been.

Likewise, there has been NO development in Nagi's feelings towards Hayate. She still thinks that Hayate is in love with her, this fundamental perspective NEVER changes.

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Hina, by comparison, is still stuck in "Must be nice to Hina, or she'll kill me" where she's been for over a hundred chapters now. For all her inner turmoil, he's still convinced she pretty much hates him.

Oh please. The "must not make her mad yet again" thought is only one of many facets of their relationship. If you tried to exhaustively summarize Hina's perspective on Hayate, it would fill endless pages. If you tried to exhaustively summarize Hayate's perspective on Hina, it would also take alot of time (albeit much less than Hina's side).

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Originally Posted by Xellos-_^

Hina hasn't had any romantic developments.

You can't possibly be serious ^_^

For your sake, I presume that you want to say that Hayate doesn't consider Hina romantically. And that's obviously wrong - think about his reaction to Maria's "It's totally impossible that someone so super-cute and all-around great like Hina would fall for Hayate" smackdown. Or the time when he freaks out in the bath on the thought that Hina's washing herself in there, too. Their extreme blushing whenever they touch (multiple occasions), and when they were pretty close to kissing on the cliff.

The only thing missing is Hayate's clear realization that Hina is in love with him. Should this ever change, I'm convinced that HnG is entering the end run. Which means it's not going to be anytime soon.

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But Ayumu defintely had a few, as Hayate is actually aware that she likes him.

Ayumu (bless her golden heart) is probably out of the contention because she is _fine_ with the way things are right now. In a way, she's rather become a "big sister" kind of character that is helping other characters with their endeavors, glueing them together.

Sorry, I think your definition of "romantic developments" is way way too narrow, IMHO.

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as much as Mentar like to differ, Hina, Ayumu and Maria's role in this Cheerleader and Adviser.

Proof by claim?

Maria - most likely. Ayumu has found her role, and it's a different one. But yes, I'm definitely not counting Hina out yet.

Can you somehow substantiate that? Where do you get this "more and more attached" from? There is exactly ONE scene I could imagine that could qualify as that, and that's Hayate's "see the future" scene after Nagi destroyed the stone. But that's because he was at a crossroads, and even then he needed Athena to remind him that he had an obligation.

See, I've been re-reading the early volumes of the manga recently, on account of being stuck at home with nothing better to do.

When he first starts working for Nagi, Hayate is primarily concerned with keeping his new job and trying to impress Maria with looking cool for Nagi rating a distant third. A couple chapters in, he outright monologues that he's mostly doing it for the money, but part of him doesn't want to betray her expectations.

There's a gradual shift over time with various signposts causing him to introspect a bit along the way. Mikado telling him his life is worthless is one of them. His declaration that he'll always care for Nagi even if she dislikes him (After she sells him to Isumi) is another. His reaction to Ayumu's confession even takes himself by surprise. His utter freakout during the Shimoda arc followed by his swearing on Yukariko's grave to protect her for the rest of his life is another one.

Aside from that, he gets notably more clingy and fussy over her with time, to the point that he's moping because "school is boring when Ojo-sama isn't around" and even seeing her face in the friggen moon after being away for a whole day during the Butler Quest Arc.

Simply put, he goes from being a man grateful to her for saving his life to one that hates to be separated from her for any length of time. There's other little touches like him trying to start up a conversation about anime when he's at Hina's house because "Golly, Ojo-sama and I could have discussed this for hours!"

Another good example would be the time at the summer fair where Nagi buys the complicated russian camera and Hayate tells her "You know, that attitude is exactly what I like about you." He simply doesn't say things like this early on.

And of course there's Nagi breaking the stone, which not only prompted his "At that moment, I saw the future" line, but he's been staring at Nagi from time to time ever since, almost like he's trying to figure something out.

When Athena asks about Nagi, Hayate talks about his gratitude towards her, but it's the way he smiles while talking about how difficult she is that brings Athena up short and causes her to shift gears.

He's always interested in protecting Nagi, yes, but his feelings pretty clearly shift more and more from pure gratitude to personal affection and attachment over time.

The Nagi question is more complicated and I'll get to it later, maybe.

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If you tried to exhaustively summarize Hina's perspective on Hayate, it would fill endless pages.

Endless pages? Seriously? I like Hina and all, but she isn't that deep.

There's no question that Hayate is attracted to Hina, (As he is Maria) but he hasn't displayed any strong signs so far of having deeper feelings for her.

See, I've been re-reading the early volumes of the manga recently, on account of being stuck at home with nothing better to do.

When he first starts working for Nagi, Hayate is primarily concerned with keeping his new job and trying to impress Maria with looking cool for Nagi rating a distant third. A couple chapters in, he outright monologues that he's mostly doing it for the money, but part of him doesn't want to betray her expectations.

There's a gradual shift over time with various signposts causing him to introspect a bit along the way. Mikado telling him his life is worthless is one of them. His declaration that he'll always care for Nagi even if she dislikes him (After she sells him to Isumi) is another. His reaction to Ayumu's confession even takes himself by surprise. His utter freakout during the Shimoda arc followed by his swearing on Yukariko's grave to protect her for the rest of his life is another one.

Aside from that, he gets notably more clingy and fussy over her with time, to the point that he's moping because "school is boring when Ojo-sama isn't around" and even seeing her face in the friggen moon after being away for a whole day during the Butler Quest Arc.

Simply put, he goes from being a man grateful to her for saving his life to one that hates to be separated from her for any length of time. There's other little touches like him trying to start up a conversation about anime when he's at Hina's house because "Golly, Ojo-sama and I could have discussed this for hours!"

Another good example would be the time at the summer fair where Nagi buys the complicated russian camera and Hayate tells her "You know, that attitude is exactly what I like about you." He simply doesn't say things like this early on.

And of course there's Nagi breaking the stone, which not only prompted his "At that moment, I saw the future" line, but he's been staring at Nagi from time to time ever since, almost like he's trying to figure something out.

When Athena asks about Nagi, Hayate talks about his gratitude towards her, but it's the way he smiles while talking about how difficult she is that brings Athena up short and causes her to shift gears.

He's always interested in protecting Nagi, yes, but his feelings pretty clearly shift more and more from pure gratitude to personal affection and attachment over time.

The Nagi question is more complicated and I'll get to it later, maybe.

Endless pages? Seriously? I like Hina and all, but she isn't that deep.

There's no question that Hayate is attracted to Hina, (As he is Maria) but he hasn't displayed any strong signs so far of having deeper feelings for her.

i think you are grasping at straws here, none of the examples you listed show hayate sees Nagi as a object of romance.

Another good example would be the time at the summer fair where Nagi buys the complicated russian camera and Hayate tells her "You know, that attitude is exactly what I like about you." He simply doesn't say things like this early on.

If you want to argue that his devotion and emotional attachment to Nagi develops and intensifies, I wouldn't object. That's a natural reaction of people being together like this, weathering crises together.

My point is that I can't remember a SINGLE scene in which Hayate considers Nagi in a romantic context. However, there are multiple scenes showing that he does NOT consider her this way.

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He's always interested in protecting Nagi, yes, but his feelings pretty clearly shift more and more from pure gratitude to personal affection and attachment over time.

I can agree with that. But does this have any romantic significance?
If Nagi is to "win", it will have to be after a time jump.

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Endless pages? Seriously? I like Hina and all, but she isn't that deep.

The development of Hina's relationship with Hayate is the most diverse and significant one in the entire story. It's also the one Hata invested by far the most time in - not counting Nagi - and the one which has the most "ups and downs". Tracking those indepth would indeed take alot of time.

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There's no question that Hayate is attracted to Hina, (As he is Maria) but he hasn't displayed any strong signs so far of having deeper feelings for her.

Depends on the definition of "deeper feelings". An attraction is certainly there, for more than that, Hayate would need to realize that he's absolutely in Hina's strike zone (at the moment he still thinks that she's "too good for him", like Maria indirectly put it). And Hata is totally aware of that, which is why he loves to play around this focal point, the last time at c276, when the cat accused Hina of "loving this butler", and Hayate put her in a hotspot when he demanded that she denied that.

Athena already won the original "Royal Garden" story, from which Hayate no Gotoku was born. The remaining story will - in my opinion - be resolved either with the canonic Nagi ending after a time jump (possible, but so far not exactly a fan favorite), or with Hina. She has accumulated way too many fans and karma points to be ignored. She MUST be rewarded. The only question is "how".

He's with her always as much as he's always protecting Nagi (I assume she doesn't go with him when he goes to the market and such things). They both exist in each other's heart. Even when they were separated for the ten years, they were together because they kept thinking of each other.

Dude, that's an awesome idea. Next time I promise my future to a lady, I'll go far away for several years, and when I return and meet again, after she asks why I broke my promise, I'll tell her "I've always been right here, in your heart, baby! ". She'll be all over me in less time than it'd take her to slap me in the face for making some sort of ridiculous excuse. Guaranteed success.

__________________

"The name is Tin; Used is just an alias. I'm everything Shoe Box would like to be." - Used Can of the Aluminium Kingdom

My point is that I can't remember a SINGLE scene in which Hayate considers Nagi in a romantic context. However, there are multiple scenes showing that he does NOT consider her this way.

If Hayate ever did show a romantic interest in Nagi, it would be a huge shift in the story. That's not something I expect to happen lightly.

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I can agree with that. But does this have any romantic significance?
If Nagi is to "win", it will have to be after a time jump.

I don't think a time jump is really necessary unless we are ending with a wedding, in which case we'll be getting a time jump regardless. Come December, they'll be 17/14, which is a lot more palatable then 16/13. It's at least enough that Hayate can start to show interest without looking like a pedo.

Hata is going to have to speed things up to advance the story another 6 months without taking 6 years to do it, but you know there's enough foreshadowing that we'll hit those dates eventually.

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Athena already won the original "Royal Garden" story, from which Hayate no Gotoku was born. The remaining story will - in my opinion - be resolved either with the canonic Nagi ending after a time jump (possible, but so far not exactly a fan favorite), or with Hina. She has accumulated way too many fans and karma points to be ignored. She MUST be rewarded. The only question is "how".

Hata wasn't exactly shy about burning the Athena faction, although he did throw them a bone in 266. I don't think he's the type to bow much to fan pressure.

I'm sure Hina will get some kind of happy ending, but I'm very skeptical she'll end up with Hayate. Don't forget she had Yukiji show up a while back just to tell her to go ahead and hurt herself all she wants for now, and let big sis pick up the pieces later, along with some wink wink nudge nudge comments about "as long as you have someone." I really doubt that kind of foreshadowing won't end up meaning anything.

Dude, that's an awesome idea. Next time I promise my future to a lady, I'll go far away for several years, and when I return and meet again, after she asks why I broke my promise, I'll tell her "I've always been right here, in your heart, baby! ". She'll be all over me in less time than it'd take her to slap me in the face for making some sort of ridiculous excuse. Guaranteed success.

Yep, she would be right to slap you and then leave. You wouldn't be able to know what was going on in her heart, while you intentionally left, thus proving that she isn't in your heart.

It's possible for Hayate because he does mention that he thought of her on a pretty consistent basis.
It could probably be said for Athena as well, as she might have sent him away in the first place to keep him from getting killed, and is shown regretting having sent him away directly after.

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Originally Posted by madmac

I don't think a time jump is really necessary unless we are ending with a wedding, in which case we'll be getting a time jump regardless. Come December, they'll be 17/14, which is a lot more palatable then 16/13. It's at least enough that Hayate can start to show interest without looking like a pedo.

Hata is going to have to speed things up to advance the story another 6 months without taking 6 years to do it, but you know there's enough foreshadowing that we'll hit those dates eventually.

While he might use a wedding to close the story, I don't see it happening (with anyone) for another several years. Thus it'd probably be used to give a sense of closure to the story rather than a finality to the relationships, a 'years after' sort of ending rather than anything about resolving the plot. Maybe if he 'tries' multiple girls while he's still realizing things, they'll end with a wedding to say 'this is the one he finally chose in the end'.

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Originally Posted by madmac

I'm sure Hina will get some kind of happy ending, but I'm very skeptical she'll end up with Hayate. Don't forget she had Yukiji show up a while back just to tell her to go ahead and hurt herself all she wants for now, and let big sis pick up the pieces later, along with some wink wink nudge nudge comments about "as long as you have someone." I really doubt that kind of foreshadowing won't end up meaning anything.

I think it was also making the statement to the guy with the crush on her, rather than saying that Hina wasn't going to win, she doesn't know Hinagiku and Hayate's relationship to say anything definitive about it like that, but letting her little sister know that there was someone who would pick up the pieces (Ayumu would also fill that spot, but Yukiji probably wouldn't have known that) if it did go sour.
She dealt with the debt herself to protect Hina from being hurt by it, but now she seems to realize that she needs to get hurt some to continue to grow.

The only happy ending possible for Hinagiku right now (romantically at least) seems to be couched in Hayate anyways, she's shown nil romantic attraction towards her own gender, and there isn't anyone else in the story strong enough to fill the position unless Hata decides to throw in another character just for her.

__________________

Arcion's is open for business. How would you like your hare-brained scheme?

Would people quit throwing my faith in humanity being intelligent a shovel?
... Apparently there are now people in existence who are unable to use a shovel.

Programming today is a race between programmers trying to create better idiot-proof programs, and the world creating better idiots.
The world is winning.. by leaps and bounds.

The only happy ending possible for Hinagiku right now (romantically at least) seems to be couched in Hayate anyways, she's shown nil romantic attraction towards her own gender, and there isn't anyone else in the story strong enough to fill the position unless Hata decides to throw in another character just for her.

Hina's hardly the only one in that position, though. Ayumu has already shown that she can deal, but there's only enough Hayate to go around. Out of the girl he's promised his life to, (Nagi) the girl he's loved since childhood, (Athena) and the popular girl who gets the odd date mini-arc, I just can't see Hina coming out on top in a way that'll make any sense. She's just too far out of her depth at this point and the story isn't even about her in any major way.

My best guess is that either she does eventually get an alternate love interest, or else Ayumu and Yukiji will end up comforting her.

Hina's hardly the only one in that position, though. Ayumu has already shown that she can deal, but there's only enough Hayate to go around. Out of the girl he's promised his life to, (Nagi) the girl he's loved since childhood, (Athena) and the popular girl who gets the odd date mini-arc, I just can't see Hina coming out on top in a way that'll make any sense. She's just too far out of her depth at this point and the story isn't even about her in any major way.

My best guess is that either she does eventually get an alternate love interest, or else Ayumu and Yukiji will end up comforting her.

Actually, she is, given that we're talking about future storyline, and thus if established characters haven't interacted yet being ignored, Hina is the only one who doesn't have someone with a possibility pairing, unless you want to include Isumi, who hasn't really shown passion for pursuing Hayate, despite her crush (saying she'd give it up because Nagi wants to chase him pretty much takes her out as well).

Risa has the person she kissed, who might not have been introduced, but beyond that, there are personality matches within the existing characters.
Nagi herself has two other possibilities, Miki has more implied interactions and same with Izumi.

__________________

Arcion's is open for business. How would you like your hare-brained scheme?

Would people quit throwing my faith in humanity being intelligent a shovel?
... Apparently there are now people in existence who are unable to use a shovel.

Programming today is a race between programmers trying to create better idiot-proof programs, and the world creating better idiots.
The world is winning.. by leaps and bounds.

Actually, she is, given that we're talking about future storyline, and thus if established characters haven't interacted yet being ignored, Hina is the only one who doesn't have someone with a possibility pairing, unless you want to include Isumi, who hasn't really shown passion for pursuing Hayate, despite her crush (saying she'd give it up because Nagi wants to chase him pretty much takes her out as well).

Risa has the person she kissed, who might not have been introduced, but beyond that, there are personality matches within the existing characters.
Nagi herself has two other possibilities, Miki has more implied interactions and same with Izumi.

Eh, Wataru is too spoiled for choices to pick Nagi (Why would you put him with her and not Isumi?) and Kazaki hasn't even shown up for about 130 chapters. (Briefly. The last time he showed up for more then 2 pages was about 200+ chapters ago.) Plus Nagi has zero interest in either of them. You might as well include Azumamiya for Hina by that logic.

Maria and Athena have no obvious matches, Wataru himself is going to be breaking at least 2 girls hearts, and Ayumu has no one unless you're still matching her with Miki for some reason.

Bottom line is that there isn't enough male characters in this series to keep a whole bunch of girls from ending up unmatched. Which I'm ok with, actually. I like sensible pairings of secondary characters, but making sure everyone has a love interest by the end of a story just because annoys me.

Eh, Wataru is too spoiled for choices to pick Nagi (Why would you put him with her and not Isumi?) and Kazaki hasn't even shown up for about 130 chapters. (Briefly. The last time he showed up for more then 2 pages was about 200+ chapters ago.) Plus Nagi has zero interest in either of them. You might as well include Azumamiya for Hina by that logic.

Maria and Athena have no obvious matches, Wataru himself is going to be breaking at least 2 girls hearts, and Ayumu has no one unless you're still matching her with Miki for some reason.

Bottom line is that there isn't enough male characters in this series to keep a whole bunch of girls from ending up unmatched. Which I'm ok with, actually. I like sensible pairings of secondary characters, but making sure everyone has a love interest by the end of a story just because annoys me.

I'm of the belief that Maria and Athena's unrevealed pasts give them partners who are characters that have been revealed (although one of them is dead.. we think). Azumamiya doesn't pair with Hina because their personalities make for a horrible match, added to the fact that there's a substantially better match within her own group of friends for him.

Both Ayumu and Miki don't need a male character for them. Miki doesn't seem interested in them, and Ayumu has shown that she doesn't care about a person's sexual orientation before deciding if she likes them.

Mentioning Wataru's leaving broken hearts reminds me that Saki doesn't have anyone, but as she's not part of Hayate's harem I wasn't considering her, Aika either.
Nagi has shown some interest in both Wataru and Kazuki, but denies it to herself because she thinks she's Hayate's soulmate at the points when they interact. How she would react to them now might have a different outlook since the Golden Week arc and her maturity gained. I would say that there's quite a bit of possibility for something to happen given that Nagi is in a similar position to Wataru now.

Pair the Spares and HnG's love of playing with tropes and similar says that Hata's probably going to give everyone a match.

__________________

Arcion's is open for business. How would you like your hare-brained scheme?

Would people quit throwing my faith in humanity being intelligent a shovel?
... Apparently there are now people in existence who are unable to use a shovel.

Programming today is a race between programmers trying to create better idiot-proof programs, and the world creating better idiots.
The world is winning.. by leaps and bounds.

Hina's hardly the only one in that position, though. Ayumu has already shown that she can deal, but there's only enough Hayate to go around. Out of the girl he's promised his life to, (Nagi) the girl he's loved since childhood, (Athena) and the popular girl who gets the odd date mini-arc, I just can't see Hina coming out on top in a way that'll make any sense. She's just too far out of her depth at this point and the story isn't even about her in any major way.

Out of her depth? Er, what? If anything, Hina is by far the most logical match for Hayate. Or, to be more precise, Hina _is_ the female Hayate. She's the one who continuously gets Hayate and others out of their messes, like Hayate is the one who's continuously getting Nagi out of her fixes. Hata left it to Hina to get Hayate and Athena together in the EotW arc. Both have been dealing with each other increasingly well in the recent past. And save Nagi, Hina is Hayate's most important personal relationship, noone else only comes close in terms of pages invested. Every single temporary Hina-Hayate teamup in the past resulted in success.

Hina is the "eye-level" match. Nagi isn't on the playing field yet, and what binds them is a promise of care and protection, not love.

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My best guess is that either she does eventually get an alternate love interest, or else Ayumu and Yukiji will end up comforting her.

"Comforting her" wouldn't satisfy me, I'd resent such an ending. She's done MORE than enough to deserve to find happiness. And if you plan to introduce alternate love interests, it would be much easier and much more logical to add those to Nagi's side (who already showed that she was susceptible to that in the past, e.g. with Ayumu's brother). People who fit her better.

That's the thing. Except for the "I must care for and protect Milady", Hayate and Nagi have no bond, they have nothing in common. They're of different ages. They have different interests. They enjoy different things. They may be fine in a milady-butler relationship, in which Hayate usually takes the place of a worried parent trying to tear a spoiled kid out of her hikikomori-dom, but the leap to "this is the girl I love and want to spend my life with" in a romantic context seems very, very far to me.

I'm of the belief that Maria and Athena's unrevealed pasts give them partners who are characters that have been revealed (although one of them is dead.. we think).

Not really, Hayate has already asked Maria that question, and she's made it clear she's never been in love with anyone. Hayate seems to be the first guy she's ever had any feelings for. As for Athena, it was made clear as well she's only had heart for Hayate. There's Machina, but he's not human, and their relationship is clearly not one of romantic undertones in the slightest.

__________________

"The name is Tin; Used is just an alias. I'm everything Shoe Box would like to be." - Used Can of the Aluminium Kingdom

Not really, Hayate has already asked Maria that question, and she's made it clear she's never been in love with anyone. Hayate seems to be the first guy she's ever had any feelings for. As for Athena, it was made clear as well she's only had heart for Hayate. There's Machina, but he's not human, and their relationship is clearly not one of romantic undertones in the slightest.

Athena's possible relation she now has an antagonistic relation with, it's possible Hayate is the first guy she actually loved.
Maria has clearly not been open about her past, it's possible that she just didn't want to share something. Her reading the letter from the flashback when she was the school president says that she knows something about love. Coupled with her clear affection for Nagi, she seems to think that romance is something different.

"Comforting her" wouldn't satisfy me, I'd resent such an ending. She's done MORE than enough to deserve to find happiness. And if you plan to introduce alternate love interests, it would be much easier and much more logical to add those to Nagi's side (who already showed that she was susceptible to that in the past, e.g. with Ayumu's brother). People who fit her better.

Hina hasn't had any guys openly chasing her at this point, so you can't really say how she'd react. It's purely hypothetical. Nagi went on a date with a boy, treated him kindly, and calmly explained that she already had another love and wouldn't be seeing him again. Hina can only wish she had that kind of grace when it comes to dating, and she's the older one.

It's obvious that you're a huge Hina fan, and I respect that and all, but I can see there's no point in arguing with you. We'll just agree to disagree and leave it at that.

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That's the thing. Except for the "I must care for and protect Milady", Hayate and Nagi have no bond, they have nothing in common. They're of different ages. They have different interests. They enjoy different things.

This, though, I find odd. Hayate and Nagi have an easy, relaxed companionship and are often seen conversing amiably about all sorts of random things. Hayate may not be an Otaku, but he's second only to Nagi when it comes to dropping anime references. Besides which, they both miss each other terribly when they're apart. Even if it's not love, I don't see how you can honestly argue that they don't enjoy each others company or have anything in common.

Hina's far too much like Hayate for my tastes. It makes their interactions about as entertaining as watching paint dry when Hina isn't getting all tsun tsun and making a mess of things. Which she does, frequently. That's just me, though.

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but the leap to "this is the girl I love and want to spend my life with" in a romantic context seems very, very far to me.

Eh, if you say so.

When Maria suggested Hayate marry Nagi to pay off her debt, he had three objections.

1. I won't marry her for money.

This has already become a non-issue. Nagi is no longer filthy rich and his debt to her is more personal than financial.

2. I won't lay hand on a child.

This takes care of itself, given time. How much time is debatable.

3. There's no way a girl like her would like someone like me.

This is not exactly an insurmountable obstacle. I mean, it's just Hina redux, except Nagi has to wait an unspecified amount of time before it can work. Will Hina beat her to it? Maybe, but probably not, at least not by much. Hina's confession could even be the catalyst for Nagi taking action.

The way I see it, even if Nagi doesn't "win" she'll get her fair chance to compete on level ground with everyone else. Until Nagi is old enough to do so, nothing of any real consequence will happen. This way, no one auto-loses to Nagi because she's the little girl he has to protect, and Nagi doesn't auto-lose because Hayate doesn't see her as a woman. That's the real endgame, IMO.